Flower end cutter for fruit peeling machines



March 13, 1934. GQRANSON ET AL 1,950,791

FLOWER END CUTTER FOR FRUIT FEELING MACHINES Original Filed May 29, 1929v) Z9 25 I II 7 :1 26 z 22 jz j i i 2a 250 w 0 M a 9 a 2;

5 a x 7 a a 15 4 J 17 z j 20 if/Z5 Patented Mar. 13, 1934 iTED STATESATENT FHCE FLOWER END CUTTER FOR FRUIT PEELING vale, Califgassignors toporation, San Francisc of California California Packing Coro, Calif., acorporation Original application May 29, 1929, Serial No. 3661290.Divided and this application June 1,

1931, Serial No. 541,190

7 Claims. (Cl. 14652) This invention relates to apparatus to be used forcutting out or gouging the flower end of fruit. In the followingspecification, it is described as an accessory to a fruit peelingmachine, and the present application is a division of our co-pendingapplication, Fruit peeling machine, Serial No. 366,790, filed May 29,1929. The machine to which we have applied our invention comprises fruitpeeling mechanism through which the fruit to be peeled is moveddownwardly by a pusher rod or stem.

The-general object of the present invention is to provide simple meansfor receiving and holding the fruit to one side of the peeling mechanismand to provide hand operated means cooperating with the holding means tocut out the flower end. After accomplishing this, the holder for thefruit swings the fruit out into alinement with the pusher stem thatcarries the fruit thereafter through the peeling mechanism.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide means for supportingand controlling the flower end cutter so that it can be completelycontrolled by a single operating part or lever; also to construct thismechanism so that the cutter is automatically withdrawn out of the waywhen not in use.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists of novel parts and combinations of parts to bedescribed hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficientflower end cutter for fruit peeling machines.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the followingspecification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out inthe appended claims.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective of a fruit peeling machine towhich our invention has been applied; and

Figure 2 is a side elevation with certain parts broken away illustratingdetails of the cutter head and the means for operating it.

The machine to which we have applied our invention comprises a frame 1in the form of an up-right housing adapted to be supported on a table orbench 2. This housing is open at'its front side and its lower portionextends forwardly from the bench so as to enable the machine to beconveniently controlled by an operator. The machine is constructed sothat the fruit, for example: a pear 3, is placed in a fruit holder whichis capable of assuming a receiving position for the fruit in which it isillustrated in Figure 1.

After the fruit is put in position, it is swung inwardly so that itsaxis will come into alinement with the peeling mechanism enclosed in acircular housing, or cover, 4, after which the machine operates toadvance the fruit automatically through the peeling mechanism;

The holder for the fruit is in the form of a swinging frame constructedas an arm 5 attached to a vertical shaft 6 rotatable on a vertical axisand supported in suitable bearings at the side of the machine. I

The end of the holder arm 5 is constructed with suitable means forholding the fruit with its axis in an up-right position and so that thefruit cannot rotate. For this purpose, the end of the holder arm isformed into a semi-circular head 7, the opening of which operates as areceiving throat for the fruit.

When the fruit is put in place, it is shoved down by a vertical movementalong the axis of this throat so that the fruit is engaged by impalingblades that project into the-throat. In the present instance, we preferto provide two such impaling blades 8 which are diametrically oppositeto each other and which project radially inward from opposite sides ofthe semi-circular head 7.

These impaling blades 8 are in the same vertical plane and are locatedso that they project toward each other, their inner edges 9 beingdisposed slightly apart so that they do not extend into the fruitsufliciently to halve it. When the fruit is put in place, its downwardmovement is limited by a rest 10 in the form of a lever pivotallymounted at 11 on a frame member 12, the tail of this lever beingprovided with a counter-weight 13. This lever has a downwardlyprojecting toe 14 that may come against an adjustable stop 15 to limitthe downward movement of the rest when shoved down by the fruit, and asimilar adjustable stop 16 may be provided to cooperate with the toe 14to limit the upward movement of this rest. These two stops enable theposition of the rest to be nicely adjusted with respect to the impalingblades 8. These impaling blades may be provided with vertical parallelcorrugations 17 which have been disclosed in our former application,Serial No. 366,790, filed May 29, 1929, for a Fruit peeling machine, andthey operate to assist in guiding the fruit and to increase the holdingpower of the impaling blades on the fruit.

After the fruit is set in place as illustrated in Figure 1, the swingingframe 5 is swung out over the center of the cover or housing 4 so as tocome over the center of a large opening 18 that is formed through thetop plate of this cover. As the fruit swings inwardly, its lower endpasses across a cutter in the form of a rotary disc 19 which serves thestem end of the fruit. This cutter 19 is more fully illustrated in ourcopending application, Serial No. 366,790, Fruit peeling machine, filed.May 29, 1929. It is continuously driven when the machine is inoperation.

We provide means for steadying the fruit as it engages this cutter 19.The cutteris in a horizontal position, and is at substantially the samelevel as the top plate 4a of the housing or cover 4. In order to steadythe: fruit 3 as it swings toward the center of the opening 18, weprovide an arcuate blade 20 which is curved about the axis of thevertical shaft 6 on which the fruit holder 5 swings.

Before the fruit is swung out into the peeling position, we prefer tocut out the flower end of the fruit. For this purpose, we provide a handoperated device which has a cutter which can be advanced to engage theflower end of the fruit and which can be rotated by means of the samelever that advances it. This gouging cutter is preferably mounted insuch a way that it can be automatically withdrawn by a spring when itsoperating handle is released. The preferred construction for thispurpose includes a guide frame 22 fixed to the frame of the machine andhaving means for guiding a carriage, which is a cross-head preferably inthe form of a segment which, when it descends, carries down with it thegouging cutter 24. For this purpose, the segment 23 is rigidly securedto a vertical slide bar 25 that is guided to slide through one end ofthe guide frame 22. The arc of the segment or cross-head 23 runs in acircumferential groove 26 of a collar 27 on the lower end of a slidingspindle 28 that is also guided to slide vertically through the guideframe 22 and lo-- cated at the other end of the guide frame. The slidebar 25 carries a rigid operating lever 25a. The gouging tool 24 issubstantially in line with the axis of the pear 3 when the pear isplaced in the holder in the receiving position. The slide bar 25 isnormally held in an elevated position by means of a coil spring 33disposed around its upper end, thrusting against a nut 34 on the upperend of the slide bar and supported on the upper side of the guide frame22.

By seizing the lever 26, and moving it laterally with respect to itspivotal connection and along the guiding direction, the operator canslide the spindle 28 down till the gouging cutter 24 engages the pear.Thereafter slight swinging movement of the lever 26 on its pivotal axiswill rotate the slide bar 25 on its axis and impart rotary movement tothe spindle 28 that carries a pinion 29 meshing with the teeth of thesegment 23. This will gouge the upper end of the pear. When the operatorreleases the lever 25a, the spring 2'7 will withdraw the cross-head 23from the vicinity of the fruit, carrying with it, the gouging cutter 24.

Means is provided associated with the segment 23 for limiting itsmovement to prevent its teeth from coming out of mesh with the pinion29. For this purpose, the cross-head or segment is provided with twostop screws 30 (see Figure 2) which illustrates one of them. Thesescrews are mounted on opposite sides of a lug 31 that pro- .iects downfrom the under side of the guide frame 22. These stop screws are mountedrespectively in lugs such as the lug 32 (see Figure 2), which projectupwardly from the segment, one of these lugs being located on each sideof the stop lug 31.

It is understood thatv the embodiment of the invention described hereinis only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and we donot wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, to theparticular embodiment set forth. 5

What we claim is:

1. In a machine of the kind described, the com bination of a frame,means for supporting the fruit in a substantially fixed position withthe flower end uppermost, a carriage in the form of a cross-head locatedabove the fruit, with means for guiding the same to move toward thefruit, a rotary cutter carried by the cross-head in line witli theflower end of the fruit, and a handle for depressing the cross-head tobring the rotary cutter into engagement with the flower end of thefruit, said cross-head being in the form of a segment pivotallymountedto swing in a plane substantially at right angles to the guidingdirection, and affording means for connecting the handle with the rotarycutter to rotate the cutter when in engagement withthe fruit.

2. In a machine of the kind described, the combination of a frame,meansfor supportingthe fruit in a substantially fixed position with theflower end uppermost, a carriage in the form of a cross-head locatedabove they fruit, with means for guiding the same tov move toward thefruit, a rotary cutter carried by the cross-head inline with the flowerend ofthe fruit, a. handlefor depressing the cross-head to bring therotary cutter into engagement with the flower end of the fruit, saidcross-head being. in the form of a segment, and a pinion meshing withthe segment to rotate the cutter when in engagement with the fruit, andmeans forv automaticallyreturning the carriage to its elevated positionvthereafter.

3. In a machine of the kind described, the combination of a frame, meanson the frameforsupporting the fruit with the flower end uppermost, aguide frame, a cross-head, a rotary spindle carried by the cross-head'and guided in the guide frame substantially in linewith'the flower endof the fruit, a rotary cutter carried by the spindle, a. slide barguided through the guide frame and carrying the cross-head, means fornormally holding the cross-head in anelevated position, a handle carriedby the slide bar for depressing the same to bring the cutter intoengagement with the flower endof the fruit, said cross-head consistingof a segment rigidly connected with the slide bar to enable the handleto rotate the segment, and said spindle having a pinion engaging thesegment for, rotating the rotary spindle.

4. In a machine of the kind described, the comm bination of a frame,means for supporting the fruit in'a substantially fixed position withits flower end uppermost, a rotary cutter, a cutter spindle carrying'thecutter, means for guidingmg the cutter spindle longitudinally of thefruits axis to enable the cutter to move into engagement with the flowerend of the fruit, a handle mounted for rotation in a plane substantiallyat right angles to the guiding. direction and affording means when movedlaterally for. advancing the cutter spindle andlcutter, and meansoperated by rotation of the handle on its pivot for rotating the cutterwhen in engagement with the fruit.

5. In a machine of the kind described, the combination of a frame, meansfor supporting the fruit in a substantially fixed position with theflower end uppermost, a rotary cutter, a movable carriage carrying thesame, means for guiding the carriage longitudinally of the axis of thefruit, a lever connected wtih the carriage so as to swing in a planesubstantially at right angles to the direction of guiding, movablebodily .tovbring the cutter into engagement with the flower "end of thefruit, and means actuated by the swinging movement of the lever forrotatin'g'the cutter thereafter.

6. In a machine of the kind described, the combination of a frame, meansfor supporting the fruit in a substantially fixed position with theflower end uppermost, a rotary cutter, a movable carriage carrying thesame, means for guiding the carriage longitudinally of the axis of thefruit, a lever connected with the carriage so as to swing in a planesubstantially at right angles to the direction of guiding, movablebodily to substantially fixed position, a rotary cutter with means forguiding the same to advance ona line substantially coinciding with theaxis of the fruit to bring the cutter into contact with the flower endof the fruit, a handle pivotally. mounted to swing in a planesubstantially at right angles to the'guiding direction, movablelaterally by hand in the guiding direction for advancing the cuttertoward the fruit, and means operated by swinging the handle on its pivotfor rotating the cutter thereafter to remove the flower end of thefruit.

HJALMAR GORANSON. DAVID GORANSON.

